The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1887-02-12
COVENANT WITH ABRAM.
NOTES ON THE INTERNATIONAL
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON.

mtroduction.-Go had promised Abram
that he should become great nation that
He would make his seed as the dust Of the
earth, and that He would give him the land
of Canaan. As yet there was no fultlllment
of either promise. Ahram had no son, lie
did not own a foot of land compare Acts vii.
-, and the years were slipping fast away IL
is for this reason that God appears to him III
a vision and comforts him with the aSSur-
ancc that He is his shield and that his reward
shall be exceeding great Uevised edition,
margin. Abram at once thinks of an IN
crease of his POSSESSIONS and asks God why
He should give him anything more when he
has no child. God therefore renews the
promise that he shall have son.
THE LESSON.
His Posterity Like the Stars ". 5l.-He
then leads him out and bids him look toward
heaven. and count, if he is able, the stars,
which are sparkling with all the brilhancy of
an Oriental sky. What an inspiring similel
His seed was 10 be as numerous as the stars,
and many of them We're 10 shine as the stars
until they should pale before the brightness
Of the star of Bethlehem. Compare Mum.
xiv, II and Rev. xxi, 49,
Justification by Faith ". d),-This verse re-
cords two great facts: !. Abram believed IN
Jehovah: 2. Jehovah counted or reckoned it
to him as righteousness. Abrams life, as we
shall see, was one grand example OF falth.
He left his fathers house because he believed
in jehovah At the most trying periods OF
his career, when other mems faith would have
failed. his triumphed. Abram did not have
Gods written word; but he followed Gods
will. as far as he knew it, closely. Whatever
might be his failings, he had the spirit OF
obedience In this particular instance he be-
leved Jehovah's promise that he should nave
a son. God accepted his faith as righteous
ness, that is, right living. But Abrams faith
and works went together (James II, 10.
He did the things which Jehovah commanded
because he believed in Jehovah. He was
feeding, as the Psalmist says, on faithfulness,
and was one Of the just, described 10y the
| prophet. who live by faith. His life FUR
nisbes the illustration of the apostolic doctrine
of justification by faith Rom !, Il; ", -
| Gal iii, G, Heb. X, So, which became the Key
| note of the German Reformation.
The Sign of the Covenant Tvs. 7,S,-A'-
thonrh he believes that lie is TO have son, he
| is still in doubt about the land. But God tells
| him that he has brought him out OF or OF the
| Chaldees to give him the land. Abram asks
| a sign God condescendS to give it to INN, as
he afterward condescended to give signs TO
| Gideon Judges vi, II, 500, llcZekah III
| Kings Xxx. SID and even to Aha2 isaiah vll,
| ll-l4
VS. 0. 10. The sign which God gave Abram
| YEAS n covenant. In commercial language IT
was =, contract that he entered into with him..
II was as though two people should make
nf
held by some trustworthy person, and should
apree by written contract, properly signed
and sealed before notary, that in case either
of them should fail to fulfill the conditions OF
the agreement he would forfeit the sum of
money to the ether.
Life, however, is more precious than money
I'm this covenant Jehovah condescends TO
stand Oh equal terms with Abram, and thus
really promises as if he were man. that II
| he does not fulfill the conditions OF the cove
nant he will forfeit his life compare Jeremiah
xxxiv, Il, 1920. Covenant IN Hebrew sig
nifies something that is cut. The hebrews
| sneak of cutting a covenant where we speak
| of making a covenant. Abram was 10 pre-
pare the prelimina les. He was to take
hefer, a she goat and lamb, each years
| of age, and was to divide them INTO TWO equai
parts, putting onehalf on one side ana the
other half on the other, leaving room 10 walk
between the parts, He also took turtle
dove and young pigeon, but he dld not Ill
vide them. The contract by which the land
| of Canaan was to be conveyed to Abram, as
we might say, was ready to be signed ana
sealed. but before this takes place he must
understand its provisions.
Conditions of the Covenant Tvs. lilo. -
These are indicated in the following verses,
Naturally, but tittingly, the birds OF prey,
| who foreshadow what is TO be revealed TO
him, light upon the carcasses, and he drives
them away. AS the sun is going down
deep sleep falls upon Abram. 1t is the same
| kind of sleep that Adam is said to have slept
when Eve was created. The birds of prey,
which may be regarded as symbol OF evil
ara followed by the horror of great dark
! ness Through these natural portents ms
mind is prepared for the unwelcome an
nouncement regarding his posterity His
seed Is to be stranger in a land that Is not
| theirs. They are to serve the owners OF thal
| land, who will Cypress them 400 years. But
! ON that nation God will visit sore Judg
ments.
Afterward Abrams descendants are to
! come out with great possessions Nbram l.
! to 90 to his fathers in peace. In this passage
! there Is an intinlatiOn of existence after
| death He is to enjoy the greatest OF tent
| poral blessings, according TO the Old Tesla
| mcnt-nameiy, that of long life Tx. Xxx, ~
| Prov. iii, ,; LA, XIV, 20; he i to he buried
/ in n GOOD old age. In the fourth generation,
| or in 400 years, reckoning the word genera
ton in its widest significance OF 100 years, us
! children are to return to Canaan. -Four nun
dred here is simply round number, the ex
act number being $50 years lex. XII, wi
! ron1pare Gal iii, ~. One thing Is men
| toned which stands in the way of Abram :
immediate possession Of the land-the III
! iouity Of the Amorite is not full This IS sig
nifcant language God is slow in executing
! his judgments. He does not sweep man from
| the earth through the food until it Is full OF
! violence. Punishment visited by him cannot
be FASTENED by day, nor can it be delayed
when once the hour has struck. Thus the
provisions of the covenant are made clear to
| Abram.
The Covenant Sealed ". l0.-The covenant
OF Jehovah with Abram, speaking OF 1t a
! though il were u contract, was now ready t.
be signed. This was done by smoking fur
mace and flaming torch, which were sym
bols Of the divine presence passing between